As a critic of social media and all its glorious benefits, BJ Mendelson is an ideal individual as he comes from the point of a view as a journalist who examines the "hype" of social media. While some commentators have reacted negatively to Mendelson's controversial premise in Social Media is Bullshit that social media marketing is not only customized for enterprises, but also marketing authors are scam artists making money while not offering anything of value; in fact, social media marketing does not even work unless you have a multi-million dollar budget and a healthy media presence. Mendelson makes no qualms in his expose of social media and he pulls no punches on the industry's icons such as Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Chris Brogan, and Robert Scoble. At the heart of Mendelson's message is the central concern that capital enterprise has manipulated the communicative and collaborative value of social media. How flawed is social media enterprise? Here are some key themes:
1. Offline matters more than online - Trying to make millions off a niche platform on the Web is not a good idea. It's rare when it happens, and most those who do try are merely salesmen who got lucky because they were at the right place at the right time, had the right connections in the industry, and got backing from the media.
2. Longtail is misleading - It's a terrible business model if you're not a media outlet. Niches must have enough of a critical mass behind it to support your business. Most don't.
3. Viral is Driven Offline, not Online - 99% of viral videos are driven by real-world connections, traditional media, corporate support, and established celebrities. It's like getting struck by lightning - it happens, but it's rare. Making something go viral organically is not as easy as social media experts try to frame it
4. The concept that merely posting something online people will see it is false. YouTube videos generally are unwatched and most websites go unnoticed. It's just too much out there.
5. Metrics like "engagement" and "awareness" are misleading. Social media metrics usually do not mean anything. People who rave about metrics with promises of "ROI" have no solid proof that it can be easily replicated, unlike TV ratings which correlate to high ratings. Large corporations use social media merely as promotion; it's usually viewed as a loss leader than a money-maker.
6. Cyberhipsters get defensive by calling detractors "dinosaurs" - People who are confident in what they know will sit down and have a conversation with you that doesn't involve outrageous superlatives like "engage or die." Sales tactics involve making people feel left out if they don't adopt the latest platform are so effective. Most of the time, they don't know what they're talking about.
7. Social media platforms are bad for business - For example, Twitter is useful for cosmopolitan cities where strangers can be connected within a short distance and where it is difficult to break out of anonymity
8. Those who sell you on the idea of "influencers" are usually influencers themselves. Your presence on different platforms is redundant. If it is a good idea or a product, people will do the work of sharing it for you
9. Analysts repackage what they've read elsewhere and then sell it at outrageously marked-up prices. If the analysts are saying it, it's likely too late to be ahead of the curve. Selling insight is an updated version of the infamous snake oil salesmen.
10. The 1% rule - 99% of users of the web are anonymous. The minority of users do the majority of the talking on the Web while the rest of us just listen or lurking.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Saturday, February 09, 2013
Selling, Communicating, and the Pixar Method
Friday, December 28, 2012
e-Paper of the Future?
It's almost 2013, and with that, I wish everyone sincere wishes to a wonderful new year. Although not quite 2013 yet, the tenth edition 2013 findings from the New Media Consortium Horizon Project is out. The report identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have an impact on learning, teaching, and creative inquiry in higher education. Twelve emerging technologies are identified across the horizon over the next one to five years.
Flexible Displays is one technology I'm highlighting here. Organic light emitting diode displays (OLED), which first entered the mass market in 2004 is different from traditional
glass-based LCD units as OLED displays are manufactured on thin, pliable plastics, prompting
the term "flexible displays.” The arrival of the world’s thinnest OLED display in 2008 by Samsung
introduced a screen that was pliable and could easily be folded — features that gave rise to the ideas
of unbreakable smartphones and bendable tablets. By 2009, popular news outlets including CBS and
Entertainment Weekly were including “video in print” inserts in smaller circulations of their magazines,
demonstrating the new technology. Opportunities offered by flexible OLED screens in
educational settings is now being experimented for e-texts, e-readers, and tablets. Flexible
displays can wrap around curved surfaces, allowing for the possibility of smart tables and desks!
What is the relevance for Teaching, Learning, Research, or Creative Inquiry?
- Flexible screens can easily be attached to objects or furniture, regardless of their shape, and can even be worn — making them far more adaptable and portable than standard computer screens and mobile devices.
- Prototypes for flexible displays in the form of “e-paper” that can be crumbled up and discarded just like real paper. This will be revolutionary to e-book publishers, librarians, and others to reimagine how digital textbooks and e-readers are produced and delivered with inexpensive low-cost e-reading devices (on paper!)
Monday, December 24, 2012
The Weightless Economy According to Chris Anderson
Best known for his coinage of the "long tail" and then the "free economy," Chris Anderson editor of Wired magazine is at it again with his latest innovation: the "maker." We're in the midst of a 'new industrial revolution,' -- the first one took off in Britain between 1700 and 1850 with factories and industry mills; the second one was in 1850 to the 1920s with the T-Ford Model assembly line and the Taylor's scientific management. The Web has allowed for a do-it-yourself (DIY) model that's paved the way for a 'weightless economy' in which trade is intangible information, services, and intellectual property rather than physical goods - literally realizing Marx's assertion that "all that is solid melts into air."
Makerspace should be a key term in 2013 and beyond. Digital experts such as Don Tascott has discussed elements of this in Macrowikinomics but Anderson furthers the boundaries of the digital into the physical arguing that entrepreneurship can be democratized and opened up to anyone with an internet connection. But why stop there? Makerspaces can exist in learning and education. The blogosphere is already buzzing with early prototypes of makerspaces, including the a recent Forbes article about Fayetteville Free Library's first makerspace lab featuring 3D printers and a hackers laboratory.
Makerspace should be a key term in 2013 and beyond. Digital experts such as Don Tascott has discussed elements of this in Macrowikinomics but Anderson furthers the boundaries of the digital into the physical arguing that entrepreneurship can be democratized and opened up to anyone with an internet connection. But why stop there? Makerspaces can exist in learning and education. The blogosphere is already buzzing with early prototypes of makerspaces, including the a recent Forbes article about Fayetteville Free Library's first makerspace lab featuring 3D printers and a hackers laboratory.
Building a resource for Educators and Makers working to inspire young people to make projects in art, craft, engineering, green design, math, music, science, technology, and more
Saturday, November 24, 2012
No Shelf Required - e-Books In a Time of Transition
No Shelf Required® is a blog about eBooks, loosely defined to discuss eBooks, audio books, and other digital content found in libraries as well as the technology needed to read and listen to this digital content. Created in 2008 by Sue Polanka, now Head of Reference & Instruction at Wright State University Libraries, the blog has evolved as a forum for librarians and publishers. particularly focuings on the issues, concepts, current and future practices of Ebook publishing including: finding, selecting, licensing, policies, business models, use (tracking), best practices, ebook readers, and promotion/marketing. She recently edited a follow-up to her first book, No Shelf-Required 2, which is a strong compilation of articles dealing with eBooks in this time of transition and uncertainty. In this book, I find a number of thought-provoking issues raised:
Do E-books Bridge the Digital Divide? - The digital divide spans much more than just digital and information literacy -- it also includes the access to hardware and software. If we look at the average income of Americans, the disparity between the rich and poor is high. Access to e-Books is only possible if you have the means of owning e-Readers! Not everyone has the luxury of broadband internet access; desktop computers, MP3 players, cell phones, and e-Readers. Many students across North America struggle to print out their research papers at the local public library due to lack of access at home. This is where libraries come in. They must advocate avenues for every patron to have access to these new e-book technologies through grants and new government policies - it's happening in other parts of the world. Now it's our turn here in North America.
E-book Preservation - With e-books as the new rage, and e-Readers coming out by the dozen, we forget that the formats that accompany these e-books are impermanent and will be outdated eventually. As librarians, how do we maintain and preserve these formats? How do we sort through the digital rights management? We're still in the early stages of wading gently through the legal waters of the e-book industry. Do we just idly wait? These are issues that libraries will eventually face once e-Readers become obsolete and patrons and customers turn to us for help with their content.
E-book Sea Change in Public Libraries - HarperCollins' Overdrive announcement on February 24, 2011 sent a shock wave throughout the library world. Although it mostly affected public libraries, HarperCollins' imposition of limiting each e-book to just 26 circulations before it simply disappeared from the library's digital collection was a stark reminder to the library world that publishers are not our friends and the same effects could spill into the academic library hemisphere, too. While publishers insist that the new cap on e-books circulation is simply to protect sales, it caused some leaders in the library world to respond with some harsh utterances.
Do E-books Bridge the Digital Divide? - The digital divide spans much more than just digital and information literacy -- it also includes the access to hardware and software. If we look at the average income of Americans, the disparity between the rich and poor is high. Access to e-Books is only possible if you have the means of owning e-Readers! Not everyone has the luxury of broadband internet access; desktop computers, MP3 players, cell phones, and e-Readers. Many students across North America struggle to print out their research papers at the local public library due to lack of access at home. This is where libraries come in. They must advocate avenues for every patron to have access to these new e-book technologies through grants and new government policies - it's happening in other parts of the world. Now it's our turn here in North America.
E-book Preservation - With e-books as the new rage, and e-Readers coming out by the dozen, we forget that the formats that accompany these e-books are impermanent and will be outdated eventually. As librarians, how do we maintain and preserve these formats? How do we sort through the digital rights management? We're still in the early stages of wading gently through the legal waters of the e-book industry. Do we just idly wait? These are issues that libraries will eventually face once e-Readers become obsolete and patrons and customers turn to us for help with their content.
E-book Sea Change in Public Libraries - HarperCollins' Overdrive announcement on February 24, 2011 sent a shock wave throughout the library world. Although it mostly affected public libraries, HarperCollins' imposition of limiting each e-book to just 26 circulations before it simply disappeared from the library's digital collection was a stark reminder to the library world that publishers are not our friends and the same effects could spill into the academic library hemisphere, too. While publishers insist that the new cap on e-books circulation is simply to protect sales, it caused some leaders in the library world to respond with some harsh utterances.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Surrey Public Library - Glimpse of the Future
Over the next while, I intend to profile innovative libraries. Surrey Public Library's City Centre Library branch is the first of a series that I will look at.
What was once an industrial area, the new City Central branch is built in the new downtown core, and in fact is envisioned to be the community gathering spot as the new cultural and social hub in the city. Built in the vicinity of the local Simon Fraser University, Surrey Place Mall, and City Hall, the library right now stands as an iconic landmark for City Centre.
It's run some innovative programs, including the Living Library in which people were voluntarily "loaned" out as books to library patrons.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Chapter on Library Services for Multicultural Patrons
I am really pleased to have co-published with my colleague and friend Ada Con, librarian at the Fraser Vallery Regional Library (FVRL). Our book chapter "Partnerships Linking Cultures: Multicultural Librarianship in British Columbia's Public Libraries" examines innovative techniques and best practices that libraries have used to engage their libraries patrons and customers, who are often from culturally diverse backgrounds, often as new immigrants unfamiliar to their communities.
Library Services for Multicultural Patrons will be a useful companion to not only librarians, but also educators in cultural institutions of all types who want to better serve the multicultural groups in their communities with easy-to-implement suggestions for collaborative efforts, many rich and diverse programming ideas, strategies for improving reference services and library instruction to speakers of English as a second language, marketing and promotional tips designed to welcome multicultural audiences into their institutions. We were also fortunate to be able to work with two superb editors Kim Becnel and Carol Smallwood. Carol Smallwood is a well-established writer and editor, whose upcoming new publication in 2013 will be Bringing the Arts Into the Library (American Library Association, 2013). Look out for that one, too!
Library Services for Multicultural Patrons will be a useful companion to not only librarians, but also educators in cultural institutions of all types who want to better serve the multicultural groups in their communities with easy-to-implement suggestions for collaborative efforts, many rich and diverse programming ideas, strategies for improving reference services and library instruction to speakers of English as a second language, marketing and promotional tips designed to welcome multicultural audiences into their institutions. We were also fortunate to be able to work with two superb editors Kim Becnel and Carol Smallwood. Carol Smallwood is a well-established writer and editor, whose upcoming new publication in 2013 will be Bringing the Arts Into the Library (American Library Association, 2013). Look out for that one, too!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
#Netspeed 2012 Reflections
Having just returned from Netspeed 2012, I feel refreshed in the library profession. Some great speakers presented, some great ideas exchanged, and superb conversations and connections resulted. Sponsored by The Alberta Library, a consortium the majority of libraries in the province, Netspeed is considered one of Canada's leading library technology conferences. I certainly enjoyed my time, despite not knowing what to expect from a local conference. From the friendly registration table down to the closing keynote from Stephen Abrams, Netspeed 2012 gave me a few epiphanies regarding conferences. Here are my top 10 recommendations for conference goers:
1. City - Regardless of the locale, each conference is organized by a group of individuals set on showcasing the city, so make use of the expertise of these organizers and ask questions about places to see, restaurants to try out, and entertainment to check out. Conferences aren't meant to be holidays - it's work after all. Rather, they are opportunities to re-energize and enhance the conference experience . . . after the sessions are over.
2. Make Connections - Make it a habit to converse with as many people as possible, whether it's the hotel concierge, folks on the same elevator, taxi drivers, and of course, conference delegates. You're job is to learn as much as possible about the conference and also the city. Why did they choose this city? Find out why. Try to exchange business cards with at least two conference attendees. Those connections might be useful in the future.
3. Take Notes - Document what you're hearing. Don't just rely on memory. There's nothing like evidence of your attendance and learning than having it written on paper (or electronic device). I find that reflecting on my notes and synthesizing what I've heard to what I can apply from these thoughts.
4. Vendors - I used to find vendors as a supplement to conferences, perhaps as salesmen who support the conference economically in return for floor time. However, I think that's not quite the approach we should take. Vendors are full of librarians who speak the lingo, understand the challenges, and have worked with numerous libraries. Vendors are a great resource for picking up on the latest technology developments in the field, stay abreast of emerging trends, and even create some possible connections for your libraries. So try to pick up a few brochures and learn about what products and services they offer. Don't be afraid to strike up a conversation. Pick up some swag while you're at it.
5. Prepare Early - Take some effort in preparing to pack for your trip and make sure your luggage has the right clothing for the weather. There's nothing like a bad conference where you've left your passport or credit card at home on the way to the airport. Make the conference experience as seamlessly enjoyable as possible by incrementally preparing each day leading up to the big trip and don't leave everything the night before. Make sure you have your conference session schedule lined up so that you don't have to make the decision on the spot.
6. Take time for Reflection - There's lots to digest during conferences. Sessions are often empty by midday as attendees are tired out from listening and talking. Don't fall into the conference burnout trap. Take time to reflect on what you've been hearing and quietly contemplate on what you can do to apply at your own work.
7. Don't Rush - There are too many sessions for you to attend, so don't try to do everything at once. I used to have a habit of session-hopping - spending five minutes here and there - trying to soak up as much as possible, expecting to absorb the conference on my own. This type of multitasking is not only one version of ADD, it's also detrimentally unproductive. It goes back to the previous point about preparing ahead of time to really pick the sessions and people you want to see and meet.
8. Use Social Media - As you can't be everywhere at once, social media is so important in catching up on things you missed. Don't forget of course share your knowledge and contribute what you've heard or learned to the webosphere. Blog about it, tweet it using its hashtag, Instagram it. But don't overdo it, like tweeting every five seconds during a session.
9. Elevator Speech - Try to rehearse for a one-liner that best represents your work. Your position will change from time to time as your workflow and projects shift and change. Very rarely will our work fall static. Think of a few things you can say in response to the oft-famous question "So what do you do now?"
10. Share, Exchange, Present! - There's nothing like listening to an uplifting presentation and then enhancing it with your own knowledge through an insightful comment or personal anecdote. While you're at a particularly great session, start to plant a seed in your own mind in building on it with your own future conference presentation. Imagination breeds creativity and success. That's why I think personal attendance at conferences can never be truly replaced by the online experience. Conferences are meant for ideas to germinate and exchange between real people and human conversations. So while you're at it, enjoy!
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Happy Thanks Giving, Google
Happy thanksgiving, everyone, from Canada. Even though it's weeks away from Thanksgiving in the US, it's always important to give thanks to life. Kudos to Google for coming out with its Dear Sophie. It's been a year, and it's still as good as when it first came out.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
The Clash of Applegoo
It's really amazing to see the all out war between once former friends. It's always sad to see how allies can disintegrate into enemies. That's business, I suppose. Just before Apple founder Steve Job's passing in 2011, he had realized the impending penetration of the mobile market by his once trusted friends at Google. The once deposed giant of mobiles Apple is now being dethroned by the new rivals Google, and the war is just heating up with the onslaught of lawsuits thrown at competitors by Apple. And vice-versa.
What's incredible is that Apple's victory lawsuit has produced even more dissatisfaction between the two frenemies. While Samsung is livid that it had lost the case, Apple feels the compensation is insufficient. What's the source of all this enmity? Really it stems back to Apple's oligopolistic needs to squeeze out Google (partners of Samsung). Where Apple once focused on building sleekly designed, Web-enabled devices, Google the benevolent search engine specialized indexed and delivered the Web’s billions of pages to users. The lines are now blurred -- Google (Android) is moving increasingly into the information communications industry and Apple (iPhone) is doing the same in moving into the realms of operating systems. It's hard to differentiate the two -- it will only continue to get fuzzier. Until the digital world aligns itself, the lawsuits will continue. In any profession, duplication usually means change is to come. In the meantime, iPhone 5 has been released. But looking at the two companies, there seems to be not much differentiation between the two. Here's a look:
App Store vs. Google Play
Apple’s Siri vs. Google Now
Apple Maps vs. Google Map
Apple Passbook vs. Google Wallet
iCloud vs. Google Drive
What's incredible is that Apple's victory lawsuit has produced even more dissatisfaction between the two frenemies. While Samsung is livid that it had lost the case, Apple feels the compensation is insufficient. What's the source of all this enmity? Really it stems back to Apple's oligopolistic needs to squeeze out Google (partners of Samsung). Where Apple once focused on building sleekly designed, Web-enabled devices, Google the benevolent search engine specialized indexed and delivered the Web’s billions of pages to users. The lines are now blurred -- Google (Android) is moving increasingly into the information communications industry and Apple (iPhone) is doing the same in moving into the realms of operating systems. It's hard to differentiate the two -- it will only continue to get fuzzier. Until the digital world aligns itself, the lawsuits will continue. In any profession, duplication usually means change is to come. In the meantime, iPhone 5 has been released. But looking at the two companies, there seems to be not much differentiation between the two. Here's a look:
App Store vs. Google Play
Apple’s Siri vs. Google Now
Apple Maps vs. Google Map
Apple Passbook vs. Google Wallet
iCloud vs. Google Drive
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Can GLAM's be the Future of Cultural Institutions?
In 2008, the Cultural Heritage Information Professionals (CHIPs) made a proverbial dent in the world of information professionals. A jointly sponsored event hosted by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Florida State University, and the Ringling Museum of Art, library, archives, and museum experts explored the information needs of cultural heritage organizations with a purpose to transcend the traditional boundaries between galleries, libraries, archives, and museums that would better serve the information age.
'Digital convergence’ has been a key theme of libraries, archives, and museums and has had a track record of previous research. It finally reached a tipping point in 2009 when three influential publications from different professions -- Library Quarterly, Archival Science, and Museum Management and Curatorship --collaborated on special issues examining the areas of convergence for educators and professionals working to meet user needs in libraries, archives, and museums.
These journals are definitely worth a read. But I think what is critical here is a paved road for cultural institutions. Daily cuts to budgets everywhere have forced cultural institutions to shut down. Is it too much to ask that 'digital convergence' has blurred traditional distinctions between galleries, libraries, archives, and museums? Could the future see art galleries, libraries, archives, and museums can collaborate and combine forces to better serve their users?
The answer is a must and a yes -- for the future of libraries, archives, and museums. The digital world has collapsed the cultural institutions industries. I urge you to take a closer look at how these collaborative networks crosses those boundaries in the same way these authors’ projects collapse the boundaries between these journals.
'Digital convergence’ has been a key theme of libraries, archives, and museums and has had a track record of previous research. It finally reached a tipping point in 2009 when three influential publications from different professions -- Library Quarterly, Archival Science, and Museum Management and Curatorship --collaborated on special issues examining the areas of convergence for educators and professionals working to meet user needs in libraries, archives, and museums.
These journals are definitely worth a read. But I think what is critical here is a paved road for cultural institutions. Daily cuts to budgets everywhere have forced cultural institutions to shut down. Is it too much to ask that 'digital convergence' has blurred traditional distinctions between galleries, libraries, archives, and museums? Could the future see art galleries, libraries, archives, and museums can collaborate and combine forces to better serve their users?
The answer is a must and a yes -- for the future of libraries, archives, and museums. The digital world has collapsed the cultural institutions industries. I urge you to take a closer look at how these collaborative networks crosses those boundaries in the same way these authors’ projects collapse the boundaries between these journals.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Gesture Based Libraries
I've profiled some developments of gesture-based computing in previous postings. Now I want to take a closer look at one library's experience. It's clear that this is no fad - Apple is currently in productions to roll out gesture-based technology soon. Founded in 1558, the Bavarian State Library is an early adopter of mobile applications. With a collections comprising 9.7 million books, 57,500 current journal subscriptions, 93,600 manuscripts, the Bavarian State Library is one of the richest worldwide. Its Munich Digitisation Centre (MDZ) is one of Germany's leading institution of digitization of written cultural material. Currently the Bavarian State Library can already offer 520,000 digitised books from its collections for free use. Almost 90% of the digital books contributed by German institutions to the European cultural and scientific portal "Europeana" are from the Bavarian State Library.
Gesture-based computing will soon be a critical technology and has been profiled as an emerging trend in the Horizon Report 2012. With gesture-based computing, just your hands and fingers are sufficient in directly interact with the screen - replacing mouse and keyboards altogether.
As far back as 2008, the Bavarian State Library had already installed purely gesture-controlled presentation system that personalizes virtual experience of digitized manuscripts, blending in history with cutting edge technology. The BSB Explorer is a selection of 3D digital copies of the most valuable works of the Bavarian State Library, consisting of a large display and a sensor control unit - allowing for a purely gesture-based, completely contactless manipulation of the 3D animated digital copies on the display. Without the mouse or the touch screen as intermediate elements, the digitized 3D books can be paged through, turned and zoomed by mere movements of the hand.
Imagine being able to scan through collections of historical works through the swipe of your hands. Imagine re-sizing the image through the waving of your fingers. Observer how libraries, museums, and galleries are increasingly sharing their digital experiences. Is this a sign of the times? Observe how in this video gesture-based technology is used.
Imagine being able to scan through collections of historical works through the swipe of your hands. Imagine re-sizing the image through the waving of your fingers. Observer how libraries, museums, and galleries are increasingly sharing their digital experiences. Is this a sign of the times? Observe how in this video gesture-based technology is used.
Thursday, August 09, 2012
Dean Koontz's Odd Apocalypse Leaves the Page
As a librarian, technology plays a critical role in my work. Whether it is social media, mobiles, or cloud computing, I need to be aware of what's new, what's going on, especially the tools that students and patrons are using next. The book publishing industry is making a leap of faith into the latest of cutting-edge technology, using augmented reality as a way to enhance its stories beyond the physical page. Layar has already been working with its European magazine counterparts in blending in digital 2D objects to the physical pages to produce a sensational experience.
Dean Koontz is one of my favourite authors, and his Odd Thomas Series is a well-received series of books about Thomas, twenty-year-old man who is able to see the spirits of the dead. Bantam books is one of the first to use augmented reality is salvaging a lagging book industry. What does this mean for libraries? Could this mean the end of bar codes? Could this mean that librarians will be able to use image recognition on their mobiles to conduct online reference? Let's wait some more. In the meantime, try out Odd Apocalypse -- you can see it come to life using your mobile phone or computer webcam. Try it out.
_____________________________________
For iPhone and iPad users:
For iPhone and iPad users:
- Download the free Dean Koontz iPhone/iPad app at iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dean-koontz/id409292571?mt=8. If you already have the Dean Koontz app, check your “Updates” button for your iPhone/iPad to make sure you have the latest version of the Dean Koontz app.
- Once you start the app, look for the button that says “AR” on the homepage and click it, bringing you to the augmented reality viewer in Dean’s app.
- Position the hardcover book on a flat surface like in the picture below. Point your iPhone or iPad at the front book cover in a way that the entire book cover is seen within the viewer and watch the cover come to life. It may take a few seconds to load.
- Download the free Dean Koontz Android app in the Google Play app store at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobileroadie.app_929or download the standalone augmented reality Android App for Odd Apocalypse at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zerofractal.dean.koontz.
- If you’re using the Dean Koontz app, look for the button that says “AR” on the homepage and click it, bringing you to the augmented reality viewer in Dean’s app.
- Position the hardcover book on a flat surface like in the picture below. Point your iPhone or iPad at the front book cover in a way that the entire book cover is seen within the viewer and watch the cover come to life. It may take a few seconds to load.
- Visit the augmented reality viewer page on DeanKoontz.com by clicking here.
- Make sure your webcam is plugged in and turned on.
- If you see a message requesting access to your camera such as the one below, hit “Allow.”
- Hold your hardcover book up in front of your webcam. Be sure to take care not to obscure the book cover with your fingers, and position the book cover in a way that the entire book cover is seen on screen and watch the cover come to life.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Interactive Print in Augmented Reality - The Future of the Web
Layar has been one of the most innovative and progressive web start-ups I've seen in a while. It's taking the technology world by storm, and just today, it's come out with something I truly think will lead to a revolution in how we interact on the web. Layar has been working on this for over a year, and I believe it's hit critical mass, with the numerous developments happening concurrently with augmented reality programs across the world.
Layar has been collaborating with European magazine and newspaper publishers to help enhance the static pages of their publications with digital content, and in particular, offering publishers the tools to simply create the interaction themselves. As Layar reveals, the last two issues of LINDA. Magazine, including the L’HOMO issue, are all embedded with buttons. The vtwonen magalogue with all of its “Buy” buttons. The latest Eppo comic from Senefelder, the VPRO Gids. Introducing: Layar Creator.
Will this mean the end of QR codes? Seems like it. Layar Creator's emergence feels a lot like when the first services like Geocities provided easy access to creating websites, interacting with other users, and paving the way for the Web 2.0 era. Layar Creator is almost like a WYSIWYG application for activating print pages with digital AR content. Anyone with a computer can upload images or PDFs, drag-and-drop any of a number of digital buttons onto the pages and publish them on the Layar platform. Layar Creator requires no software to install. No fancy code work needed, no developers. Whereas it took months of web programming to put together -- can now be done in mere moments.
Layar uses image recognition technology, as it recognizes existing images from the pages of magazines and newspapers without the need for special markers like QR codes. It's a path where I think we're truly leading to the so-called, much hyped but little-understood Web 3.0. This early premonition of how "digital tagging" can be applied to physical objects are, in my opinion, the foreshadowing of the Web of Things and information shadow that will be a distinctive feature of Web 3.0.
Monday, June 04, 2012
From Card Catalogues to Gesture-Based Computing
There have been a wave of new touch screen, mobile, and cloud-based emergent technologies out in the past few years. One of them is 'SixthSense', a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information. Currently a Research Assistant and PhD candidate at MIT Media Lab, Pranav Mistry is the inventor of SixthSense. This game-changing technology is actually a wearable device that enables new interactions between the real world – just like the movie. He has also invented an invisible mouse called Mouseless, which is controlled by an infrared laser beam and an infrared camera, both of which are embedded in the computer itself. The current prototype system costs approximately $350 to build. Pranav is already a celebrity with some of his innovative inventions, yet in the library world, there's still some questions as to what exactly gesture-based computing or augmented reality can provide or benefit to libraries. Does the gesture of drawing a circle on the user’s wrist projecting an analog watch make for a practical application?
As I was listening in to discussions in my Digital Humanities Summer Institute session, I became more appreciative of the future of such technologies. It's not so much the technology -- rather, it's the social, political, and business end of things which must be evaluated and researched well in order for a technology to function and thrive. I liken the card catalog as analogous to gesture-based computing. With the card catalogue, a stationery flip card is just a piece of card board; however, with text and a collocation element, it becomes something much more. It becomes an essential tool of libraries, cataloguing, and classification. Despite its disappearance from libraries, its associations with the library are so heavily embedded that it's almost impossible to remove it entirely from the library lexicon. Library websites are often still referred to loosely as the library catalogue. So what can we learn about emerging technologies? Could we envision a future where library patrons can easily flip through entire shelves of books by just a wave of their arms? Can we envision a library where patrons don't even need to leave their couches, but can view entire shelves of books in the comfort of their homes? Some libraries are already thinking ahead it seems.
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